Alondra

Alondra was built from the plans of the
L. Francis Herreshoff classic Goldenball. She is a shallow draft cruising ketch specifically designed for the shallow waters of the western coast of Florida. Her leeboards allow for spacious cabin below with full headroom. She is forty-seven feet in length with a draft of less than three feet. Alondra keel was laid by a Pine Island resident in 1973 and launched in 1985. We are proudly her third owner.

The designs of L. F. Herreshoff are highly regarded by connoisseurs of classic yachts. They are marked by clean, graceful, sweeping lines and simplicity of hull and rig that demonstrate the work of a true artist. In 1973 Herreshoff himself wrote about this design, "If I could have afforded her when I was younger, I would have had a boat to this design, because I think she is one of my best."

Lewis Francis Herreshoff (1890-1972) was a naval architect, editor and author of numerous books and articles. As a young man, Mr. Herreshoff had the opportunity to work in each area of the Herreshoff Manufacturing Co., a boat design and manufacturing firm owned by his father, Nathaniel G. Herreshoff, and his Uncle, John Brown Herreshoff. (For more information about the Herreshoff legacy of boat design and manufacturers visit: www.herreshoff.org/hmm/index.html)

During World War I, L. Francis designed for the U. S. Navy, and he later worked for naval architect W. Starling Burgess. By 1926, he was self-employed, designing racing and cruising yachts, canoes, kayaks and other small craft. His racing yachts include a 1930 Americas Cup contender, the J class yacht WHIRLWIND; the almost unbeatable double-ended M class sloop ISTALENA; and the revolutionary
R class sloops YANKEE and LIVE YANKEE.